UK-based m-ticketing technology specialist Masabi has demonstrated a proof-of-concept Android application that can read and display the contents of ITSO-based transport ticketing smart cards. ITSO is the UK government-chosen standard for smart ticketing that’s already being used by transport operators including Go-Ahead, Stagecoach and Newport Transport as well as in a number of regional schemes.

Masabi’s Smart Card Buddy Beta has been developed by the company’s Beta Labs programme and can be downloaded from the Google Play app store.

Public transport operator Stagecoach Group has launched a trial of NFC bus tickets in partnership with Everything Everywhere. It’s enabling some customers on the Stagecoach bus network in Cambridgeshire to use their Orange ‘Quick Tap’ NFC phones as tickets.

The scheme uses the Department of Transport’s preferred ITSO ticketing technology and is described as the UK’s first Government-standard commercial deployment of mobile contactless transport ticketing.

UK mobile rail ticket pioneer Masabi has been awarded the contract to launch the first smartphone rail ticketing system in the USA.

It’ll be working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, enabling passengers to buy and display rail tickets on their smartphones across the MBTA’s rail network.

Juniper Research expects the number of tickets delivered to mobile phones will more than quadruple from last year’s worldwide total of 4 billion tickets to 23 billion by 2016.

Its new report says mobile users are now beginning to adopt mobile tickets as an integrated part of their mobile lifestyle, with m-tickets being used by airlines, transport, sporting events and entertainment.

This week’s podcast from The Fonecast starts with a look at Barclays Pingit, the new UK mobile payment service that’ll let almost anyone send and receive money from a smartphone. We then move on to Ofcom’s plans to cut mobile termination rates before discussing camera technology, new handsets, patents, NFC tickets and plenty of other topics.

As always, you can listen to the programme on our website audio player, via iTunes, by using our RSS feed or by downloading the MP3. Alternatively, take advantage of the Android, iOS or webOS Stitcher Radio app and stream the podcast to your mobile phone.